Insanity
by The Dappled Leaves
Summary: We all know Katniss and Peeta's view of the Hunger Games. But what about the others? What's their story? Did they have goals or tragic pasts? Or did they just lust to win? Whether tragic or scary, everyone has a story...


Glimmer and I are hidden within the dark bushes that surrounded a camp of tributes in the middle of the woods. There, the District 9 girl and the District 3 girl were chatting as they were cooking pieces of rabbit over a small fire so they didn't attract attention. Smart. By them, the District 4 boy, and the crippled District 10 boy who I guessed they felt pity on, were was asleep on the ground, dozing.

Glimmer and I watch them in great focus, our green eyes locked on our targets. We were the predators, and the people in the camp were the prey. Normally, Cato and Marvel would be doing these kind of jobs, while Glimmer and I would hide within the woods to ambush the people who managed to flee from their attack. But today, Marvel, Cato, and the District 3 boy who was guarding our camp with bombs named Widget were hunting for the District 12 girl and they wanted us to handle the camp here. Which means we're going to have fun. Unlike the boys, who just crashed through the bushes and started violently stabbing anything in their path. Glimmer and I, were smarter and more sly. We were stealth hunters, hiding and then quickly ambushing with a certain neatness and grace.

I gently pull a leaf off the holly bush I was hiding behind to give Glimmer the signal. She nods slowly and pulled out a dagger she had gotten that she wanted to try out. The silver blade glimmers venomously against the dim sunlight that came through the trees as she slid silent as a snake through the trees, barely brushing against the bush.

I hold onto my knife harder, preparing for the ambush. The four campers were unaware of their approaching demise as Glimmer took aim. My heart was beating loudly, the beats echoing through my ears. Adrenaline and excitement coursed through my blood as I felt the excitement of being able to plunge my knife into someone's flesh, coming closer to my impending victory of these Games.

Suddenly, Glimmer launches out, graceful as a pretty wild cat, and plunges her dagger into the District 3 girl's chest, stabbing her heart, killing her before she could even scream. My heart leaps as the cannon rings for the District 3 girl and I launch out of the bush, swift and clever as a wild dog, and penetrate it into the screaming District 4 boy's back. He was still partly alive though, trying to grab his spear. I finish him off by stabbing him in the neck, kind of disappointed that I didn't make it last longer but whatever. Boom. Oh how I love the sound of the cannon. It just made my blood pump faster.

Glimmer was finishing off the District 10 boy as I notice the 9 girl try to stab her behind her back with a small knife. Perfect. I leap up and plunge my knife into her back. The 9 girl coughs and vomits blood up violently, cringing in pain as she plummets to the ground with a loud cannon following. Glimmer kills the 10 boy after my quick kill of the District 9 girl, his cannon shooting off in the distant, pulling her dagger out his neck.

I take my knife out of the District 9 girl's body as Glimmer and I evaluated the camp to make sure that no one else was in the camp. Once we saw everyone was dead, we then started collecting the items.

Glimmer admired her crimson stained dagger admiringly and commented, "Not bad Clove. Not bad. We make a pretty good team."

I nod and pick up the weapons and food supplies around the area. The campfire was singeing the rabbit pieces to black chars due to the kids dropping them in surprise. Guess we won't be able to eat them as a congratulation snack.

"Can we rest a little," Glimmer moaned, looking at me, "I mean, we had to hunt for the boys this morning and we know how monstrous their appetites are. And then we had to do this tedious work just so they could find a 12 girl…I want to sit."

"Sure." I agree grudgingly, I didn't really want too, but I didn't want to listen to Glimmer's complaining along the way, so I start putting out the fire by stamping it with my foot, scattering ashes everywhere as Glimmer sat on a rock cleaning our blades with a leaf carefully.

As far as District One tributes were, Glimmer was okay, and a great asset to our Career team. Actually, her and Marvel were both great assets to the Careers. Marvel, though not clever, was a great and swift fighter, and he was actually quite a skilled at setting traps. Glimmer, was surprisingly clever, her only flaw being she was not always the best fighter, her clumsiness and vanity getting in the way. The two were nice enough, but I couldn't help but think that though they were great fighters, how easily Cato and I would eliminate them. I would tag Glimmer and Cato could get Marvel as we made our way to victory. But for now, their help was required, so…

After the fire finally died beneath my shoe, I walked near some nearby stones, watching the bodies being taken by the loud giant hovercraft, and sat down. As I watched the bodies disappear, memories suddenly came flooding through my mind, of my life back home, and when I was younger.

I was in my little brother, Soldier's room, playing toy soldiers with him on a large round table loudly, making gun sounds and knocking the little plastic figures around, our imaginations showing the riveting and violent imagery for us, when suddenly, our father came towards us, sullen faced as always, but seeming a little peppier.

"Clove, can I talk to you in private?" he asks. I nod to him, and shoot a death glare at my brother to tell him if he destroyed some of my soldiers without me, he was going to end up like the fallen soldiers on the ground.

I was probably seven at the time my dad plopped me on the couch and said, "Clove, the school has evaluated your progress with your fighting and they think your ready to start training to be an actual soldier for District 2, like daddy," my father says to me, "You'll get to do more stuff and train with a mentor and everything."

That caught my attention right there. I was literally bouncing with excitement. In school, it was always a bore, they wanted me to just see how far I could throw a spear or shoot something with a gun, which was always easy for me. But this was an opportunity of a lifetime! I could actually do stuff and maybe learn some fighting moves.

District 2 kids were taught at a very young age to enjoy the thrill of the fight. We were taught that though the Capitol didn't give us much food and would slaughter some of us publicly, that they were the sole thing that kept us alive and that everything would go wrong if they disappeared. That we had to lust bloodshed for them to care about us. I hated accepting that kind of stuff, but…who was I to deny what everyone was saying?

I remembered the long walk with my father as I went to my first day of advanced training.

A few days later, I had already shown my worth to some of the Capitol's residents, my ability with knives and spears surpassing most of the females and even some of the males there, who were more favored by the Capitol. I moved up in the ranks quickly, Soldier following close behind me until, at one point, my mentor led me into a large arena. Today, was the real day to prove I was a soldier.

There, a District 6 boy with shaggy wheat blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and lots of freckles dotted along his face stood, eyeing me nervously. I was handed a spear and he was handed one too and we then got in our battle positions. Today, was to prove my worth, or die. It was a little challenging, but thrilling as the District 6 boy and I fought it out, jabbing each other painfully with the spears until I plunged my spear into his chest, making his pupils dilate and gasp for air until finally, he collapsed on his knees and sunk into eternal slumber. It was the day I thought my father truly felt proud of me, ever since my mother left him for another man and ruined his life. It made me feel so happy.

Suddenly, Glimmer's voice snapped me out of my memories, "Come on Clove, Cato is going to throw a tantrum if we don't follow him." I nod, get off the rock, and walked with the Careers quietly. I thought about that look and then decided that I'm going to make my father proud again, by winning these games, tooth and sword.

We were doing our daily average business in the camp, the only difference in the system was that, Lover Boy was on our side now. I don't like him, but he would be easy to murder, so we kept him anyway. Might as well squeeze the last drops of usefulness out of him before we kill him. Anyway, I had to admit, as much as I hate him, he could whip up some mighty tasty meals. I gorge into some well spiced turkey ravenously, when in the trees, the corner of my dark eyes caught sight of movement. I hear the angry hum of some bees…no…trackerjacks as I see the figure pull out a glimmering blade. Realizing what was happening, I opened my mouth to alert the team, but it was to late. The large nest dropped down and cracks open like an egg and a swarm of large angry trackerjacks with their long deadly stingers gleaming hauntingly in the sunlight come pouring out charge at us.

Screams of confusion and panic ring around the camp and I see the District 12 girl fleeing for a safer spot as the rest of us ran to the pond in a flurry, loud buzzing coursing through our ears. Anger courses through my veins and I want to go up and rip open her stomach, but the large yellow jacket like animals keep injecting their poison into me, and I have to run. Anyway, my time would come at some point.

Once the insects stopped attacking, we headed back to camp to see a grisly sight. Glimmer and Stream, a District 4 girl lie bloated and dead on the edge of the camp. Though Stream's a sickly sight to see, Glimmer's condition is the worst. Her once pretty and elegant body was large and bloated and pink and red from the stings. Green pus is pouring out of her body where some of the bloats popped. You could hardly see her dazzling emerald eyes through all the bloats and the platinum blonde hair that many of us had admired looked sickly on her now distorted body. Her fingers were crumbled off, her bow and arrows gone. A great fighter killed by a bunch of bees dropped by a District 12 girl.

I look at the miserable corpse as the helicopter carried her and Stream up in the air, and I suddenly began to realize, I was close to dying in that situation. In being killed. I was so close to being slaughtered by a District 12 girl. By bees. I almost embarrassed my whole entire District! That 12 girl, Katniss, I think, will die. No one would get away of doing that to me. No one nearly kills Clove and gets out unharmed. I would be the winner of these games. I would make my father proud and make my mother regret ever leaving us. I would show the Capitol how loyal and strong I was. Glimmer was pathetic. Weak. To think she died in such an anticlimactic way sickened me. Weaklings were to die in these Games. Only the strongest of us ever survive these Games.

I sneer as her body disappears in the chopper and watch as Cato gives District 12 boy a beating for some reason. I soon grow bored and walk away. Oh well. We all knew Lover Boy was going to die anyway.

Well, I guess he wasn't killed because the Cato and I were now in search of both of the 12 kids. Marvel was dead. Killed by the arrow of the 12 girl. Weakling. Being killed by the 12 girl. How pathetic. He deserves no sympathy. Cato and I were the only one's alive now after Cato snapped the Widget kid's neck for getting our supplies blown up. We were all that was left and I was in particular search of the District 12 girl. I refuse to let her kill me. I will not die by a District 12 tributes hands or weapon.

Suddenly, an announcement rings across the land that we can pair up with our tribute partner and win together. I smirk. Cato and I were going to win this. With Cato's brute killing and force, and my sly and clever ways of slaughtering, we'll make our District proud. Plus, we'll give the viewing audience a grand show.

We slip away to where the supplies were and instantly began killing. As I kill a District 8 boy, Cato saw Katniss running across and said, "Clove. Go give the audience a real show." I was slightly surprised at this, but nod. He usually is the one who wants to kill. But he was letting me handle the one who has caused all our problems. This was a chance of a lifetime.

I take out my trusted knife, and throw it. I hit her right underneath her eye and tackle her down. Knife in place, I would give the audience a show. A slow, painful, bloody show. I draw the tip of my knife near her face.

But suddenly, I feel large arms around me. I gasp as I see the large District 11 tribute looking at me, a large rock in his one hand. He blames me for the little brat in his District's death. Dang it Marvel…if I ever see you again…your going to die all over again. Actual fear courses through me as I try to struggle uselessly against his killer grip.

I explain to him that I didn't do it, that I was innocent, but the massive tribute didn't believe me. Grief and rage was in his eyes…hatred pouring out of him as he bashes my head in with the rock.

The 12 girl and monstrous brute leave me as my pupils dilate and I start coughing up blood. My head swirls, red flashed over my ears as hot tears pouring down my eyes while I writhed in pain. Cato is kneeling before me, trying to hold back tears himself as I felt my life ebb right away from me. The pain…it was unbearable…

Shame fills my mind as I feel myself dying. I was killed and defeated by a rock…no…a District 11 boy…I claw the dirt with my fingernails. I'm sorry father, but this is how it ends…and…if it matters to you at all…I loved you…and just wanted to make you proud. Hopefully, Cato will win these games, and maybe give our District more respect from the others. You can be proud of him. Don't be angry at me…I'm only human…and I really did try.

The last thing I see is Cato, kneeling beside me, his eyes full of hopelessness and grief, as I slowly started to fade away from this world.

I look at him and smirk, "Don't be crying over me you fool. Just win these games. Don't be a sap…" And then, I felt myself fall. The feeling became fainter and fainter, and my vision became darker and darker, until…there was nothing.

A/N: Wow, this was fun to write. Next chapter will be about Glimmer. I hope you guys enjoyed and your critique is wanted.


End file.
